NFL Black Monday for Cowboys Coaches? Premature Reports of Firings Are 'B.S.'
FRISCO - As of 1:15 p.m. CT time here at The Star, it's not "NFL Black Monday'' yet - unless you count a couple of "journalists'' who are proving unworthy of the label.
"Nobody's been fired yet,'' one prominent Dallas Cowboys staffer tells me as of 12:48 p.m. "And it's bullshit for anyone to say otherwise.''
What's truly happening? Coach Jason Garrett told us he was scheduled to meet with the Jones family today just after the noon hour regarding his future with the Cowboys and that he will "absolutely'' express his desire to retain his position as head coach.
"Absolutely,'' he told Shan Shariff and yours truly in an exclusive Monday morning visit on 105.3 The Fan. “We’ll have a good visit and see what’s next.”
Two reports were insisting that Garrett had been informed of his dismissal even before the scheduled meeting had taken place. Those reports have since included follow-ups that are CYA in the sense that the eventuality of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones deciding to let Garrett go isn't the same as saying it's done.
But at 1:23, a text from a staffer: "Jason met with the assistants and told us his meeting with management is this afternoon.''
At least one outlet that mistakenly regurgitated the fake story had the decency to scrub it. ...
I'll work on the assumption that the meeting is ongoing now ... and that Garrett will likely be informed of his fate then. But multiple assistant coaches are telling me, as if 1:36 p.m, they have not been told of their fates.
The assortment of assistant coaches who are no longer under contract, of course, can begin their own scramble for new jobs while also trying to maintain ties with the Joneses. But they are all aware, as is Garrett, that Jerry seems serious about the notion of change.
"I make changes, and I certainly can see myself making a lot of changes in a lot of areas,'' Jones said. "Just the times call for that. I am about change. I change a lot.”
At 8 a.m. the Cowboys players started outgoing physicals. At noon, they started to do exit interviews with coaches, including Garrett - who is likely to have said 53 goodbyes at that time. Meanwhile, Cowboys ownership has already begun visits (Urban Meyer) and examinations of NFL head coaches (like Sean Payton, Mike Zimmer, Jack Del Rio and Mike McCarthy), top assistants (like Greg Roman, Robert Saleh, Dan Campbell, Wink Martindale, Josh McDaniels and Eric Bieniemy) and star college coaches (like Nick Saban, Bob Stoops, Lincoln Riley and Matt Rhule.)
Jones said on Sunday night that he's "not going to get into it at all, an evaluation or an assessment. I’m not. I’m going to do exactly what I always do and get up, go forward and do the best job that I can.”
The Cowboys are about to put 8-8 and 85-67 and tiny handful of playoff wins behind them. They are about to put Jason Garrett behind them. Starting just after the noon hour today, the Joneses are about to "go forward.'' But they'll do it on their clock, not on the clocks of the impatient and irresponsible media.
